Ashraf AboArafe
The Foreign Minister stresses the importance of promoting constructive and objective dialogue between Egypt and the European Parliament on the foundations of friendship and mutual respect.
On the evening of Monday, January 22, 2024, Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, on the sidelines of his current visit to Brussels to chair the tenth session of the Association Council between Egypt and the European Union.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the meeting comes within the framework of the Foreign Minister’s keenness to communicate and dialogue with various European Union institutions, as Minister Shoukry stressed to the President of the European Parliament the importance that Egypt attaches to strengthening relations between Egypt and the European Union institutions, including This is the European Parliament, especially within the framework of the ongoing work to consolidate and raise relations between Egypt and the European Union to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
During the meeting, the two sides stressed the common desire to enhance constructive and objective dialogue on areas of joint cooperation. In this regard, Minister Shoukry stressed the importance of the essence of this dialogue being based on the foundations of friendship, mutual respect, and understanding of the magnitude of the challenges surrounding Egypt and the burdens it bears as a result of the current international and regional challenges. He also noted the importance of the role of the European Parliament in providing the necessary support to Egypt to respond to the economic challenges it faces as a result of the successive regional and international crises and the increasing challenges they pose.
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that the Minister of Foreign Affairs reviewed during the meeting the features of the comprehensive modernization process that Egypt is witnessing at the political, economic, developmental, social and cultural levels, strengthening the human rights system and empowering women and youth, noting the importance of enhancing fruitful cooperation between Egypt and the European side, especially in the field of empowering youth and Ali. At the level of student exchange and benefiting from the programs provided by the European Union in this field.
For her part, the President of the European Parliament stressed the importance and strategy of the European Union’s relations with Egypt and the importance of employing them to serve the interests of both sides and confront common economic and security challenges after coordination and consultation. It also emphasized the regional and pivotal role played by Egypt towards the region and its continuing efforts to achieve security and stability there, which is also in the interest of the security of the European continent.
The official spokesman revealed that the meeting dealt with a number of current regional and international issues, most notably the crisis in the Gaza Strip and the current threats to the security of navigation in the Red Sea, as the President of the European Parliament was keen to listen to Minister Sameh Shoukry’s assessment of the current position of the Gaza Strip crisis and ways to end that war. In this context, Minister Shukri noted the importance of the role that the European Parliament can play, as the voice and conscience of the European citizen, in demanding a ceasefire and paying attention to the unprecedented suffering of the Palestinian people over more than a hundred days of siege, starvation and targeting. The discussions also touched on the situations in Yemen and Sudan.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed on the importance of maintaining a direct and continuous dialogue between the Egyptian and European sides in a way that contributes to enhancing mutual understanding and addressing all issues of concern through constructive dialogue.
